This invention relates generally to a mattress for a sofa sleeper and, more particularly, to a mattress with an inner support material that contains both an innerspring construction and an air bladder, whereby the air bladder may be deflated for easy storage of the mattress within the sofa sleeper.
Traditional sofa sleepers are designed to be used as both a sofa and a bed. The sofa sleepers are designed with a folding frame mechanism that allows for storage of the mattress when the unit is used as a sofa. Thus, when the user of the bed wishes to stow the mattress, the foot portion of the bed is folded upwardly over the mattress. In this position the foot portion of the mattress is folded over the middle portion of the mattress. It is well known that mattresses provided with a sofa sleeper can be difficult to fold for storage within the unit. This is due to the space constraints existing within the sofa sleeper as well as the internal design of the mattress. Typically, the mattress used in a sofa sleeper contains an internal spring configuration. If a conventional sofa sleeper size mattress is used, the folded mattress when stored is bulky and, thus, the fit and function of the sofa is compromised. The difficulty in storage arises due to the reluctance of the internal spring configuration to compress when folded. Thus, the available space within the sofa sleeper for the mattress when the mattress is in a stowed condition and the reluctance of a spring mattress to fold necessitates a mattress that is relatively thin. However, when a thin mattress is used, the person sleeping on the mattress may often feel the support frame through the mattress. Additionally, after the internal spring mattress is folded and stored, the springs may come in contact with one another, leading to problems of noise when in use. Moreover, the compression of the folded springs creates a “hard” seating surface, as opposed to conventional stationary furniture. Thus, it would be desirable to manufacture a conventional sofa sleeper sized mattress that fits within the space constraints of a sofa sleeper, while also providing increased comfort for the individual sleeping thereon or sitting thereon, including enhanced seating comfort via reduced spring overlap in the stowed condition.
Additionally, while mattresses for sofa sleepers are known, there remains a need for an improved conventional sized mattress for a sofa sleeper with increased comfort when used as a bed while providing the same form and fit of a traditional sofa when the mattress is folded for storage.